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- SAINT PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS - St. Paul, MN
The Lab is an Arts & Wellness-based program serving at-risk youth grades 7-12 in St. Paul Public Schools. Through 1×1 mentorships, small groups and large group Enrichment experiences, youth are inspired, encouraged and empowered to discover, understand and share their voices and the truth of their lives. Through creative and experiential opportunities, youth practice social skills and find healthy ways to understand and express themselves.
April 23, 2009
Check out B.1’s new track, “Change” on our Podcast page! Also, The Lab just sent the next Poetry Anthology to print, and it will be in your hands in May - get a sneak peek at the cover and some poems in the Poetry section.
April 12, 2009
This spring, The LAB has been developing exciting partnerships with local animal rescue organizations and others who partner with therapy dogs to make a difference in the lives of youth. On Saturday, April 11th, we joined forces with Pet Haven of Minnesota,and A Rotta Love Plus, two animal rescue organizations, to host our first training about such work. Check out the following link to read more about the training. http://mariloureflects.blogspot.com/
March 9, 2009
Mallory Haar and Mary Tinucci will be leading two different volunteer training sessions on Monday, March 23rd 2009 at The Lab @ Homecroft School. There will be an afternoon training for all new volunteers, and a “level 2″ training session for the current volunteers in the evening. More information is available on the Events Calendar.
To register for one of these, contact Mallory at (651) 744-1002 or mallory.haar@spps.org
March 6, 2009
While the winter season is starting to slow down, The Lab has been keeping busy with a flurry of activity. This semester, The Lab has been extremely busy working with guest artists / mentors and volunteers to develop cool, new experiences that inspire youth. Read more about the current activities at The Lab on our News Page.
See photos of Highland Park Junior High student, R. working with dogs in dog obedience training in our Photos section!
The Lab has launched a new section to our website, Lab Stories! The newest articles are “Ginny and The Visual Art Lab” and “Celebrating 5,000 Pages Read in Mr. Ayer’s Classroom” - check ‘em out!
We are also welcoming Anne Byer-Rajput to Homecroft School as St. Paul Public School’s new Empowerment Coach - read more about her work on the Empowerment page!
February 3, 2009
Check out the new poems in the poetry section!
February 2, 2009
Check out the photos section for pictures from last week! You will find a Belting Ceremony in Shaolin Kenpo with instructor and black belt, Robyn Lingen.
January 26, 2009
The Lab’s pioneer student intern, Brandon, has finished his first album! He came to The Lab bi-weekly to support The Lab, mentor other youth in the prpgram, and work with his mentor, Glo Pesci, on his writing, sound editing, and performance skills. The album, “Psyco Mind State,” features original raps, spoken word poetry and skits, as well as performances by other students from The Lab and Glo Pesci.
January 21, 2009
Last December, to help us celebrate the accomplishments of the students coming to The Lab for Enrichments, hip hop artist Dave Sherrer a.k.a Agape hosted a hip hop show & poetry reading. You can see the clip of his performance on the Video page!
Keep a look out for clips from the student performances at this celebration coming soon!
January 6, 2009
The Lab is back after two weeks of winter vacation! The 6th volume of The Lab’s Poetry and Art Anthology was released just before break began. Hot of the presses, The Lab staff delivered the books to the student poets and artists while they were at school.
Get yourself a copy of the book and the CD of recorded poems and raps! Head over to our School Store through St. Paul Public Schools. The book is $10 and the CD is $5. You will also find Lab journals, mugs, and t-shirts at our School Store - all proceeds go directly to the empowerment of students in The Lab.
Another great event that happened just before the break was a visit to The Lab by Ahnung, a recently adopted stray dog from Red Lake, MN. The President of Pet Haven Inc., an animal rescue organization, Marilou Chanrasmi accompanied Ahnung to a classroom of Lab students. Read more about it in the Mentor Blog!
December 1, 2008
With just a few weeks left in our first semester at Homecroft, Thanksgiving break behind us and Winter break up ahead, there is a lot to celebrate around here. Click here to read more about what has happened and what will be happening as we finish this first semester at The Lab.
Head over to the Podcasts to check out our first audio post in nearly a year! It is a WEB ONLY cut from one of the tracks B.1 & N. have been making, with mentorship from Glo.
November 17, 2008
Coming up in the beginning of December, The Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, DeLaSouljah Steppers and hip-hop artist RDM bring Steppin’ Out back to the Southern Theater after it’s success last Winter, during the 07/08 Hit It! Festival.
RDM, our colleague from Highland Junior, hosted and performed with the Abstract Pact at our Open Houses in the beginning of October. Read Mary’s Blog “Steppin’” a response to last year’s show.
Steppin’ Out is an innovative, cross-cultural collaboration of three American styles of dance: Appalachian clogging, African-American stepping, and hip-hop. It combines fierce rhythm and rhyme with rollicking live old-time string band music, rural with urban dance forms, and provides enough soul and smile to inspire all ages.
November 11, 2008
Check out the new sets of poems from both Highland Senior High School and Murray Junior High School on our Poetry page! Make sure to click “Read more” at the bottom of each post to see them all.
A couple of students at Highland Senior made art cards last week - a must see!
Also, for teachers, there is an excellent article in the November/December issue of NEA Today about using hip-hop in classrooms. Find it on page 35, or online at NEA Today.
I got started using hip-hop in the classroom because my students were spectacularly disengaged form the classic curriculum. They roll out all these materials when you become a new teacher - do this, do that - but kids don’t see their lives reflected in those materials.
I decided to meet them where they live.
- Alan Sitomer ( read more )
November 13th, 2008
Join us for our next Volunteer Orientation!
Great volunteers join the Lab staff each week to make it all happen! Share your talents with at-risk youth! Come to our next Volunteer Orientation and get involved! We are currently looking for a Piano Teacher (1 hour per week).
We also need more Arts Enrichment Volunteers NOW! - there are both great ways to get involved and build relationships with kids without a huge time commitment. Enrichment events are held 6 times per month. Even a once-monthly commitment would be a huge contribution to our program. As an Arts Enrichment Volunteer you make a difference with at-risk youth; work in a creative, collaborative environment; see some of the Twin Cities’ best artists perform and gain teaching and mentoring experience! Contact Mallory Haar right now to get involved! mallory.haar@spps.org (or) (651) 744-1002
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November 3, 2008
There’s nine new poems up written by students from both Highland Senior and Murray Junior during the Enrichments - check it out!
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October 31, 2008
With the fall semester in full swing, there’s a lot going on at The Lab.
The Youth Blog is hot with an update from B., The Lab’s first student intern. After you read B’s post, check out the Mentor/Intern Blog for a post by his mentor, The Lab’s Guest Artist, Glorius Martin (a.k.a. Glo).
At our Enrichments, youth have been exploring digital photography - see a sampling of their work in our Photos section. Enjoy this video (click here) of last year’s youth and mentors.
